The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with a surface acoustic wave element of flip chip packaged type which is packaged on a ceramic multi-layer substrate, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with a surface acoustic wave element which can enhance the reliability during the use, improve the mounting capability, lower the product size, and increase the productivity.
In the electronic apparatuses, there is always a demand in the market to reduce the size of them, and the used components are required to be reduced in size and weight. In the radio frequency apparatuses represented by a portable telephone, this trend is remarkable, and can be also seen strikingly in the used components. The radio frequency apparatuses progressed along with the higher density of packaging the components, to cope with the demand for reducing the size and weight. A multi-layer substrate for mounting the elements in which a plurality of conductive layers are provided is principally employed in stead of a single layer substrate to cope with such miniaturization.
A ceramic multi-layer substrate has an insulating layer of the multi-layer substrate made of ceramic that is an electrical insulator, and a conductive layer made of silver. The ceramic multi-layer substrate has the features of smaller loss at high frequencies, better heat conductivity, higher dimensional precision, and higher reliability than the typical resin multi-layer substrate.
In the ceramic multi-layer substrate, the inner conductors are shaped like a coil, or opposed in parallel, to form an inductance or capacitance internally, and because of small loss and high dimensional precision, the elements having high Q value and less tolerance can be formed inside.
These features are effectively utilized, particularly in a radio frequency circuit for the portable telephone, as an aggregate element or a module in which various components are mounted on the surface, with high characteristics and small size.
On one hand, the radio frequency module having a circuit modularized for each function can provide a simpler structure of device with higher reliability and better characteristics than with the conventional method for forming a circuit having discrete components mounted. Also, in the conventional discrete components, the design becomes complex to fulfill the function in combination of the characteristics of each component, but the modularization allows the characteristic specifications to be determined for each module, and the design of device to be structured, resulting in shorter period and labor saving.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a radio frequency circuit for a GSM dual band type portable telephone. In the figure, reference sign ANT denotes an antenna for transmitting and receiving the electric wave, DPX denotes a diplexer (two frequency switching filter) as a multiple frequency separation filter, T/R SW denotes a transmission/reception changing switch as transmission/reception switching means, LPF denotes a low-pass filter as a transmitting stage harmonics suppression filter, and BPF denotes a band pass filter at the receiving stage.
In such a portable telephone circuit, several functions are modularized, including, for example, a power amplifier section within a transmitting system circuit, and an antenna switch section, in which the elements are practically mounted on the multi-layer substrate.
FIG. 10 shows an example of a module in the antenna switch section. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a ceramic multi-layer substrate, internally provided with an inductor portion 11 and a capacitor portion 12, and having an external electrode 13. Also, a diode as a switching element and a chip component 15 such as resistor are mounted on the ceramic multi-layer substrate 10, and a shield case 16 is provided to cover a whole upper part of the ceramic multi-layer substrate. The module in FIG. 10 does not contain a surface acoustic wave element (hereinafter referred to as an SAW element), or has it in a package component mounted.
At present, the power amplifier or the antenna switch module is modularized with a single function, but if a wider range of functions are modularized, the advantages of the modularization can be drawn. Of course, it is important that the SAW element is added to the module.
The conventional SAW element employed a so-called package component. Of course, it is possible to make a module by mounting the package component, but if the element chips are directly mounted on the substrate as will be described later, the circuit can be reduced in size, and in height, with the lower costs.
The ceramic multi-layer substrate can contain an inductance and a capacitance, and therefore has a feature of smaller size, but on the other hand, is difficult to reduce the height. Therefore, in the typical module with a package further mounted on the substrate, it is not possible to meet the demand for smaller height which will further progress. Also, the package product will require a wider occupying area than the proper bear chip. Of the used components, the SAW element is highest, and widest in the occupying area. In these circumstances, it is desired that the SAW chip is directly mounted on the ceramic multi-layer substrate in some form, without the use of the package.
On the other hand, the manufacture of the SAW elements includes a step for producing the SAW chips and a step for mounting and sealing the SAW chips on the package, which are costed by the almost same amount. If the SAW elements can be directly mounted on the ceramic multi-layer substrate, no step of mounting and sealing the SAW chips on the package is undergone, whereby the circuit can be produced cheaply.
In the radio frequency module as above, it is desirable that the SAW elements are directly mounted as the chips, and other components are mounted onto the ceramic multi-layer substrate by soldering.
By the way, there are the following problems to realize the above-mentioned circuit.
(1) To hermetically seal the chip of SAW element.
(2) To realize a structure that can withstand variations in temperature by a supporting method having no influence on the surface acoustic waves to make a soldering step and an SAW element mounting step consistent.
(3) Flat module surface with small height.
(4) To process a plurality of ceramic multi-layer substrates collectively to increase the productivity.
(1) To hermetically seal the chip of SAW element
The SAW element is produced by forming a ladder electrode of aluminum at a precision of several xcexcm on a substrate made of lithium tantalate, for example. This electrode pattern is precisely designed to obtain important characteristics such as resonance frequency, bandwidth, insertion loss, and out-of-band loss. For example, an error of 1 xcexcm may not meet the design specification.
The element designed precisely is greatly affected by the outer air. The water content or dust adhering owing to humidity has fatal influence on the characteristics.
In these cases, it is required to seal the SAW element in some way, and for the module to which the invention is applied, it is required to be smaller, lower, and employ a process of mounting the SAW element with other components simultaneously, whereby a manufacturing method must be established.
(2) To realize a structure that can withstand variations in temperature by supporting method having no influence on the surface acoustic waves to make a soldering step and an SAW element mounting step consistent
In mounting the bear chips on the silicone based integrated circuit, the chips can be mounted firmly on the substrate by adhesives, with the entire face bonded. However, in case of the SAW element, the chips can not be fixed firmly over the entire face on the substrate by adhesives to obtain a resonance characteristic because the surface acoustic waves are present on the surface.
In case of the small SAW elements at present, the chips are fixed on the ceramic substrate or resin substrate by a method called a flip chip mounting, as disclosed in JP-A-10-79638, for example. This method is shown in FIG. 11. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a substrate, and 30 denotes a flip chip as the SAW element. On the substrate 20, an electrode 21 having a gold (Au) surface is formed, and the flip chip 30 has a gold stud band 31 on a principal plane formed with a ladder electrode for SAW. And the flip chip 30 is flip mounted in the goldxe2x80x94gold connection (face down bonding), with the principal plane formed with the ladder electrode for SAW directed down.
This method is effective in mounting the SAW elements, but it is necessary that no problem arises when other soldered components are mounted. In particular, unlike the SAW element simplex, the ceramic multi-layer substrate is thickened, when constructing a composite module with other components. In this case, a stress on the connection portion is greater than the normal package product.
A soldering step generally includes applying a soldering paste on a land part of the substrate surface, then placing the element, and fixing it by the thermal treatment in the reflow furnace. In this case, a flux in the soldering paste will vaporize to activate an interface with the surface electrode, and keep the solder wettability.
In case of that the SAW element is mounted in exposed form, if the SAW element is mounted in advance, the air tightness must be kept to prevent the flux from adhering thereto and having significant effect on the SAW characteristics.
Also, the SAW element is generally mounted by a goldxe2x80x94gold bump connection, while in case of the soldering connection, the metal surface on the substrate is a tin or soldering film, which is usually plated.
Thus, it is requisite to establish a method for mounting the SAW element in a bear state and the soldered components together.
(3) Flat module surface with small height
In mounting the electronic components, a method for employing an automatic mounting machine has been established and widely employed. In this machine, a vacuum adsorption nozzle is usually employed for handling the components, and the component surface must be flat in a wider area than the nozzle diameter. With the conventional method, the surface of composite module is covered with a metal plate. However, the flattened structure in addition to the airtight structure is contrary to the direction of smaller height.
(4) To process a plurality of ceramic multi-layer substrates collectively to increase the productivity Usually, a plurality of ceramic multi-layer substrates are individually processed through one process. However, individual processings take much labor, resulting in less productivity, and higher costs. Accordingly, a method for collectively processing a plurality of ceramic multi-layer substrates in some way is desired to be employed.
In JP-A-6-97315, a prior art example has been disclosed in which the SAW element and other circuit components are mounted together and sealed. In this prior art example, the SAW element is fixed on a resin substrate, with the SAW element faced front, to make electrical connection by wire bonding, and is apparently different from the SAW element being mounted in flip chip on the ceramic multi-layer substrate as in the invention. This is different from this invention in that the circuit can be further reduced in size by the flip chip mounting, and by taking this form of flip chip, it is possible to reduce the influence due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient from the substrate. In JP-A-6-97315, the ceramic substrate has a difference in thermal expansion coefficient, and therefore has the problem, but in this invention, such influence is extremely smaller. In particular, the temperature coefficient of the SAW element and the difference in thermal expansion coefficient tend to cancel, and the temperature characteristic at the center frequency of flip chip is more excellent in the ceramic substrate, in the case where the SAW element is mounted in flip chip on the resin substrate and the ceramic substrate have, as shown in FIG. 4.
In JP-A-6-97315, it seems that the SAW element is mounted together with other passive components, but not mounted together with the soldered component as in the invention. In particular, the solder is employed for sealing, but in this case, an instantaneous heating method was disclosed to avoid contamination with the flux. That is, it is suggested that the soldered component is very difficult to be mounted together. According to the invention, the SAW element can be mounted along with other soldered components, and various components can be mounted together in a simple manner.
In the light of the above respects, a first object of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with a surface acoustic wave element in which the SAW element is mounted as a bear chip and can be mounted together with other soldered components.
A second object of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with a surface acoustic wave element in which the SAW element is mounted as a bear chip, making it possible to reduce the size and height, increase the productivity, and lower the costs.
Other objects and new features of the present invention will be apparent from the ensuing detailed description of the embodiments.
In order to accomplish the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with a surface acoustic wave element in which the surface acoustic wave element and other elements than the surface acoustic wave element are mounted on a ceramic multi-layer substrate, the method including:
a gold plating step of plating gold at least at a component bonded portion on a conductive surface of the ceramic multi-layer substrate to have a mounted electrode,
a surface acoustic wave element mounting step of face down bonding a flip chip as the surface acoustic wave element on the ceramic multi-layer substrate by the goldxe2x80x94gold connection, after the gold plating step,
a side wall formation step of bonding a side wall member surrounding the flip chip onto the ceramic multi-layer substrate by adhesives,
a lid formation step of bonding a lid member enclosing an opening of the side wall onto the side wall member by adhesives, after the surface acoustic wave element mounting step, and
a soldered component mounting step of mounting at least one soldered component that is an element other than the surface acoustic wave element by the use of solder, after the lid formation step.
According to a second aspect of the invention, in the method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with surface acoustic wave element, a gold film by the gold plating is formed in a film thickness from 0.05 xcexcm to 4 xcexcm, with the goldxe2x80x94gold connection being made on a formation face of the gold film, employing a stud bump formed of a gold wire having a wire diameter from 10 xcexcm to 40 xcexcm, so that the spacing between the flip chip and the mounted electrode may be from 10 xcexcm to 40 xcexcm.
According to a third aspect of the invention, in the method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with surface acoustic wave element, a plurality of ceramic multi-layer substrates are bonded onto the side wall member at the side wall formation step, and the side wall member is cut out into individual ceramic multi-layer substrates, after performing collectively at least partially a later process including the surface acoustic wave element mounting step and the soldered component mounting step.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with surface acoustic wave element, the area of the lid is set to be from 30% to 100% of the area of the ceramic multi-layer substrate.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with surface acoustic wave element, a soldering paste is transferred by rubber transfer onto a portion of the mounted electrode for mounting the soldered component by solder.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the method for manufacturing radio frequency module components with surface acoustic wave element, a soldering paste is applied by a dispenser onto a portion of the mounted electrode for mounting the soldered component by solder.